ALLAN LANE
September 22nd, 1909 -- October 27th, 1973

Above: Allan Lane is ready for action in one of his”Rocky Lane” B-westerns.

Allan “Rocky” Lane had exactly what it took to be convincing as a serial hero--athletic ability, rugged good looks, and an incredibly strong, tough, and authoritative voice. Not only did he have the right appearance, he came along at precisely the right time in serial history, and landed the lead in some of Republic’s Golden Age classics, helping to make them even better. Fondly remembered by his legions of fans, Lane is not so fondly recalled by some of the people he worked with--among them Yakima Canutt, Linda Stirling, Peggy Stewart, and especially William Witney. Unlike the easy-going Johnny Mack Brown and the friendly Buster Crabbe, Rocky was something of a grouch and an ill-tempered perfectionist, and had little patience with fellow performers when they fudged a line or stumbled in a scene. Still, Allan had his close friends, among then his long-time B-western sidekick Eddy Waller and his frequent on-screen antagonist Roy Barcroft. He took his heroic persona seriously, making unpublicized personal appearances at children’s hospitals solely for charity’s sake, and patiently and kindly dealt with his many juvenile fans while on the “circuit tours”. And though he was a perfectionist, his perfectionism paid off for his fans. His serials--and later his great B-western films--were so high-quality that to me and many others, just seeing the name of Allan Lane in the credits is a guarantee of some truly rugged and stalwart heroics in the oncoming film.

Allan was born Harry Albershart in Mishawaka, Indiana. He reportedly worked as a car salesman and as a photographer in his younger days before joining an Ohio acting company and journey to New York. From there, he made it to Hollywood around 1929, and worked at Twentieth-Century Fox and RKO for almost a decade before he began starring at Republic in dramatic movies such as THE DUKE COMES BACK (1937). Shortly afterwards he landed a lead at RKO in the entertaining B-mystery CRIME RING and an important villainous role in the western/comedy THE LAW WEST OF TOMBSTONE. But his first serial role was the title part in Republic's adaptation of the Stephen Slesinger/Zane Grey comic strip, KING OF THE ROYAL MOUNTED, and it was this leading part that started him on his illustrious career. Lane played Sergeant Dave King, a steadfast Mountie battling a gang of Nazi agents after a magnetic compound that would enable Germany to defeat the British Navy (Actually, the spies' country was not designated on screen, since America had not yet entered WW2, but their nationality was obvious). Robert Kellard was Lane's trusty helper Corporal Merrit, and Robert Strange was John Kettler, the crafty head of the espionage ring. KING OF THE ROYAL MOUNTED was an outstanding Republic serial in a year of outstanding Republic serials (MYSTERIOUS DR. SATAN, ADVENTURES OF RED RYDER, DRUMS OF FU MANCHU) and it remains one of the studio's all time best. If Lane had done nothing after KING OF THE ROYAL MOUNTED, he would still be one of the top serial heroes. But he kept on.

Above: Allan Lane at the radio in KING OF THE ROYAL MOUNTED (Republic, 1940).

Above: Sergeant King (Allan Lane) is helped back to dry land after being nearly swept over a dam. That's Robert Kellard aiding Allan in this lobby card for KING OF THE ROYAL MOUNTED (Republic, 1940).

But he went on. 1942 found Allan reprising the role of Sgt. King in KING OF THE MOUNTIES. Once again, he was battling the Axis threat, this time represented by a triumvirate of master spies: Admiral Yamata (Abner Biberman) of Japan, Marshal Von Horst (William Vaughn) of Germany, and Count Baroni (Nestor Pavia) of Italy (this being post-Pearl Harbor, it was possible to name names). Lane eventually managed to defeat this terrible trio, but only after another twelve well-done chapters. KING OF THE MOUNTIES has for many years been lacking over a third of its sound track, so it’s impossible to view it in its original form. However, those who have seen the part-silent version still list it as a favorite, which speaks highly for its merits!

Above: Sergeant Dave King (Allan Lane, at desk) and his Mounties plan their next move in this lobby card for KING OF THE MOUNTIES (Republic, 1942). William Bakewell, playing Corporal Ross, is on the far right.

Lane's next serial was a Western, a foretaste of his future fame in the B-western field. As undercover cavalry officer Duke Cameron in DAREDEVILS OF THE WEST (Republic, 1943), he came to the aid of stage line owner June Foster (Kay Aldridge, Republic's "serial queen") and stopped the evil Martin Dexter (Robert Frazer) from wrecking the Foster Stage Line's attempt to win a government stagecoach franchise. Only four chapters of DAREDEVILS OF THE WEST are currently available, and judging from those four chapters, it was one of Republic’s very best Western serials. Let’s hope the complete serial returns someday.

Above: Allan Lane helps Kay Aldridge go over the records of her stage line in this lobby card for DAREDEVILS OF THE WEST (Republic, 1943).

Above: Allan Lane gets tough with a crooked bartender in this lobby card from DAREDEVILS OF THE WEST (Republic, 1943).

For his final serial, Allan was paired with Republic's other "serial queen", Linda Stirling. Stirling played THE TIGER WOMAN (Republic, 1944), the white princess of a jungle tribe whose lands come under attack by unscrupulous oil profiteers. Lane was Allen Saunders, a mining engineer who aided the Tiger Woman in her fight against the evil exploiters (LeRoy Mason, Crane Whitley, and George J. Lewis). It was the end of Lane's serial career, but he was far from finished as an action star.

Above: Allen Saunders (Allan Lane) prepares to suprise three bad guys in this still from THE TIGER WOMAN (Republic, 1944). Morgan (George J. Lewis) is in the center of the group of bad guys.

Above: In another still from TIGER WOMAN, Lane (far right) stands off a pack of villains with a machine gun. The tallest baddie is Eddie Parker, and the one closest to Lane is Fred Graham.

After the release of TIGER WOMAN, Lane was “moved up” to Republic’s B-westerm films, first replacing Don “Red” Barry and starring in six films (originally written for Barry) from 1944 to 1945, and then taking Wild Bill Elliott’s place as the cowboy hero Red Ryder in seven films from 1946 to 1947. Through a fluke, Republic lost the rights to the Red Ryder character and hastily put Rocky into a new series, thus starting one of the best B-western runs of all. Allan starred in no less than 38 films from 1947 to 1953, every one of which was an exceptionally clever, fast-moving, and well-scripted action film. Lane then migrated to TV, guesting on shows like GUNSMOKE, BONANZA, and TEXAS JOHN SLAUGHTER (where he showed his versatility in a fine turn as the world-weary gunman Johnny Ringo). Rocky managed to land a few character parts in A-westerns like SAGA OF HEMP BROWN, but he hit pay dirt when he was chosen to voice the talking horse Mr. Ed on the popular sitcom starring Alan Young. Lane did the voice of Ed for the show’s entire run (1960-1966), displaying hitherto untapped comic gifts, and matching the gifted Young laugh for laugh. Sadly, Lane seemed to feel that the part was a comedown from his heroic days, as he preferred not to talk about his work on ED and dropped out of public view after the show ended, passing away from cancer in 1972.

But in reality, Allan had nothing to be ashamed of. His career was a long and illustrious one, and, whether he was playing Sgt. King, Red Ryder, Rocky Lane, or Mr. Ed, he was always at his best--and always gave us of his best. And that is how he should always be remembered by B-western and serial fans.

Ride on, Rocky!